Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-18
THE WOMEN PLEAD.
The White Ribbon League Issues an
Address to the Manufacturers and
Sellers Of Liquors.
The Saloon Men are Addressed as Brothers
and Persuasive Argument AIons is
Employed to Convince.

CHICAGO, ILL, March 1.-THE Nation
al WOmau's C3ristian Temperance Union
issued an address to-day to the brewers,
distillers, rectifers, wholesale dealers
aud saloon keepers. The address is in
accordance with resolution adoted at
the annual convention held in MinneapO-
lis last October. The address is in the
form of plea, and the people to whom
1t is directed are addressed as brothers
The address says: "FrOm the days Of the
crusade in 1874 until this day we have
been in the habit of pleading with you
personally, and by letter and address, to
give up the business Of making and sell
ing Intoxicating liquors as drink, and to
jority of instances you have treated Us
not only with politenesS but with kind
ness in our great and successful
campaigns for prohibition, for none of
them have failed since in even Ohio.
Though we have had no constitutional
majority, we had over 500, 900 votes for
prohibition to less than 100, 900 for
license, and in Kansas, Iowa, Maine and
Rhode Island we gained the amendment
In all these campaigns we appeal to you
to say if we have ever manifested q spirit
of harShness; on the contrary, we have
spoken CONSIDERABLY of you as men,
re5erYiIg our denunciatiOns for
the business in which you
are engaged, for the laws by which legal
status is accorded TO that business, for
the legislatures which enact such laws
and the voters VINO are the power behind
this throne Of shame" The address de
Clares that many of the men engaged in
the liquor traffic are possessed of the
most generous attributes, but among
them ale found some OF the most uufor-
tunate victims of drink. The address
then goes on to say: SIN almost every
state and territory we have
sent our appeal TO the Iegis-
lature for protection from this
curse and thou often grievOu>iY disap-
pointed, our plea has not been altogether
in vain. For thirteen years we have pc
titiOned Congress and at last have secured
the first temperance legislation known TO !
is annals. While our pitiful CRY to the
voters # the nation has been responded
to by local option laws and constitutional
amendments covering nearly half the in
habited area Of the republic, we nave
never come with the united voices of the |
White Ribbon Women to that small frsc- !
ton Of men who make and sell !
the poisonous drink against which we are
lighting. Drinks that nerve with danger |
Gus strength arms already so much |
stronger than our Owl, and at the same |
time SO steal away the brain that ought |
to guide those manly arms, that they are |
no longer WOman's shelter and prOteC- /
ton, but her worst enemy. We bring |
our plea then straight TO wOman's direst |
and sorrow, and lay at your feet, |
by the testimony Of courts ard iuries, the |
fact that the liquor traffic is the Canse |
of 50 per cent. of all the crime and |
go per cent. OF all the pruperism in this |
country. We know you say it is q great |
industry and pays enormous revenue to /
the state; we know also that for every !
dollar il puts into the public treasury
two have to be paid out in securing the !
trial of the criminals il Greats aud in |
the paupers it produces" |
Tue address then proceeds 10 discuss the |
question as 10 whether prohibition does /
not prohibit, and declares that experience |
proves 1t does prohibit in all practical /
sen-e and this fact is realized !
aHb acknowledged ny MANUFACTURERS. II
quotes irOB resolutions passed by the !
liquor men in favor Of license, and says
the Endorsement OF license condemns the
system. The address 1nally says: awe
have here addressed The manufs cturer
anu wholesale Cealer as well as the dis
penser of strong drinks because we think
an undue share of denunciatiCn has fallen
On the saloon keeper, who is but cats
paw to rake out of the fire the
chestnuts of the rich man back
of him. Our observation teaches US that
the stock and fixtures of the saloon
usually belong 10 brewers, distillers or
wholesale dealers, who Set up In busi-
ness men ignorant and poor, who sell |
what the'capitalsts furnish; so morally |
this rich man is under deeper condemna-
tlon than his less enlightened rep
!